Responsible Indulgence--November Wine Notes
November is a special time of year for me because it marks another year that I have survived as a small business, another year that I have grown into my wine life, and it is a time of renewal and gratitude—I particularly like that last part. I have much to be thankful for. For starters, all of you. Thank you for reading my notes, for supporting small businesses like mine, and for caring so much about the wine that you enjoy. It is your interest that keeps me motivated.
I played hooky a bit last week, both here and in NY, and I had the good fortune of finding some very interesting small shops both in and outside of the wine world. It reminded me that all of us in our independent businesses are part of the community and the culture. I am so pleased to be part of that, and I am truly grateful for your support. I know that I would not survive without it—so, thank you, thank you, thank you. As a special thank you to my members this month, the club wines are all super hard to find, small quantities that are only available to you. I had just enough to fulfill your orders! With a few exceptions, of a couple of extra bottles, these will not even make it to the shelves. So, enjoy! Membership has its privileges!
As I am celebrating lucky number 13 this Nov 7th, you have some bubbles in your bundles. It is time to celebrate harvest, and to give thanks for the abundance of the land, so why not start with some bubbles to do that?
In the Super Value 3 pack, your bubbles come from South Africa, NV Suiker Bossie is a delicious, fresh, light sparking Chardonnay and Pinotage that has been aged for 24 months prior to disgorgement. It is named after and Afrikaans folk-song about how true love makes you forget everything else. It is a magic elixir when shared with a loved one that will make you dance in the kitchen and forget all about the dirty dishes in the sink! The wine is a wonderful aperitif because it is fruity and fresh but could also accompany oysters or some fresh cheeses because it has a bracing acidity and lush mineral finish. (Enjoy the song by scanning the QR code on the bottle!)
The wines in this category are quiet simply approachable, elegant, tasty, and highly drinkable wine. That is always the goal. This month, I had the good fortune to grab some 2017 Winery of Good Hope Chardonnay. This is an unoaked Chardonnay, so you can really enjoy lean expression of this varietal. Don’t get me wrong, I love all Chardonnay’s that are well made, so oak is ok, but unoaked gives you an opportunity to enjoy the wine without anything informing the fruit. This wine is a blend of two vineyard sites, one of which is Ocean facing, which allows for some color temperatures to manage the climate and control the ripeness. It is very fresh, full flavored, with laser sharp acidity to cleanse the palate. try it with a baked pasta, roasted fish, or pork loin.
The red in the Value 3 comes from Puglia, and it is a great love story that resulted in some delicious wine. Mark is a winemaker from California, and Elvezia a marketing guru from Friuli. They met in Sicily in 1997, fell in love, and moved to Puglia where they continue to hand craft some wonderful wines that are expressive of the region and very alluring. The 2020 A Mano Negroamaro is a unique, robustly flavored red wine with lots of berry notes and black cherry and balanced with bold acidity. It is great for pasta aglio olio (my favorite pasta dish & easiest dinner ever—recipe below!).
The remaining Value packs include some wines ideally suited for Thanksgiving if you can exercise that much restraint. For a white, a Riesling. There is no better white wine for a traditional Turkey dinner. The 2017 Guntrum Niersteiner Bergkiche Riesling is grown on a vineyard of only 2 hectares of sloping southwestern facing land. This is the Guntrum’s prized land because it produces his best grapes. The wine is boldly fruity with stone fruits—think white peaches, but also pear, and green apple, and that is all followed by a wonderful fresh citrus burst that cleanses the palate. It is also spectacular with semi hard cheeses like gruyere or cheddar. If it is red you desire, go for abundant fruit with soft tannins and a toned down acidity with your turkey. The 2019 Terres Dorees Cote de Brouilly and the 2020 Texier Cotes du Rhone Chat Fou are there to expand your palate. Both of these wines will enhance your meal, but either would also work well as light highly sippable red as a cocktail wine! The Brouilly is Gamay, soft fresh and simple with lots of berry and a touch of tart cranberry on the finish. The Chat Fou is Textier’s Rhone Blend of Grenache and Cinsault, but he surprises us with about 20% white grapes, which keeps this otherwise wild little red a bit lighter and very fresh. It has a very fruity style andi s indeed a Crazy Cat, as the name translates.
For the Select Level wines, your bubbles come in a great package from Jean Paul Brun. I love the FRV100 sparkling Gamay (pronounced eff-rrr-ve-cent—get it? Gotta love the French!). It is soft, fresh, fruity, light bodied and gentle sweet with vibrant bubbles. Yes, it is pink, it is Gamay, and yes it is fabulous. Enjoy this one on its own before dinner!
Once I settle into my meal, despite the cooler temps, I still like my wine chilled, so let’s begin with whites. The 2018 Cluver Chardonnay is going to stump even the most ardent Chardonnay critic. It is from South Africa, and it is elegant, reserved, lean, and flavorful without the heavy handed ripeness that one has come to expect and reject in New World Chards. I am so impressed by this wine. You can absolutely enjoy this with TG dinner, but also it is wonderful with oysters, roasted root vegetables, or the fried rice that I had from Mori, which is delicious, btw. The 2020 Villemade Cheverny Blanc is blend of 30% Chardonnay and 70% Sauvignon Blanc that is grown organically on a variety of soil types. I don’t usually note soils, for many reasons, but I do here, because this wine is uniquely complex for a Cheverny, and I believe it is because of these variation in growing. Herve draws from three distinct terroirs, and the wine is otherwise quite simple. That said it is not simple at all. The flavors range from soft melon to candied citrus, and green apple to Asian pear. It is so good that you have to slow down and take note of the nuances. Enjoy this with your next roasted salmon or lighter meats, even as a brunch wine with quiches and salads.
The reds in November’s Select box remain medium bodied with satisfying savory fruit and a touch of spice, lower tannins to accommodate those we get in our foods this time of year. The wines are bother fermented whole cluster, which is maceration process that means the fermentation starts inside the skin of the whole grapes before they break open and start to ferment collectively. This will give wines a very fruity character and provides as lighter expression. This style is perfect for this time of year. the main difference in these reds is the flavors. The 2018 Texier St Alban St Julien Cotes du Rhone is 100% Syrah, the flavor is intense, brambly fruit, cassis, fig, with an earthy mushroom on the finish. The 2020 Villemeade Cheverny Rouge has more berry notes with a Gamay and Pinot Noir blend that is a little brighter than the other two. The 2018 Olga Riffault Chinon is amazing. I could just stop there, honestly, I really love this one, but it is Cabernet Franc that is the benchmark for the region. It is fierce, intense, and flavorful with a buoyant style. Lots of berry and red fruit with an herbaceous grip on the finish.
The Collector’s Level wines remain consistent with my seasonal approach, but elevate the experience because of terroir and wine making style. The wines have finesse and elegance in addition to having even greater aging ability.
The 2018 Thibert Puilly Fuisse comes from a family owned estate for now 300 years. Christophe and his sister Sandrine maintain the traditional simple, Savoir-faire approach. They believe, like I do, that the work really happens in the vineyard. “You can only bring out the best of a vineyard if you think about its long-term well being,” Christophe and Sandrine believe. The vineyard and terroir are exceptional, truly reflecting their unique character upon the wines. These wines are intended to elevate a meal, so enjoy it with food. Because of its oak program, you can age this one!
The 2018 Tortochot Morey-Saint-Denis is stunning, elegant approachable pinot noir from Burgundy from a remarkable female wine maker in Gevrey Chambertin. Importer’s notes, “Gevrey Chambertin has a rare and unique Terroir thanks to the alluvial fan that comes from a valley situated just behind (to the west) of Gevrey called “La Combe de Lavaux”. This glacier melted many millions of years ago and spread the rich top and sub-soil layers out through what is now the town to the plains beyond. It is not surprising to find that 9 of the 33 Grand Crus come from this village including the famous Chambertin as well as 26 Premier Crus! The town also boasts over 100 wine estates! The Domaine Tortochot is one of the more famous estates in the area and has been in the Tortochot family for 4 generations. When talking about her style of Pinot Noir, Chantal Tortochot, the head of the domain, explains: “Here we make a more traditional Gevrey Chambertin, with lots of fruit, strong tannins and good acidity.” I just love this wine and recommend aging, if you can do it!
My November recipe...
Aglio Olio
1 pound of spaghetti
1 head of garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil
Red pepper flakes
A handful of fresh parsley
Ok, serious, this is it.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding 2 tablespoon of salt,
While that is coming to a boil, mince your garlic.
Heat a 12 inch fry pan on medium, add oil until it glistens, then throw in your garlic and a pinch of chili flakes. I use the whole head. Make certain anyone you are kissing eats it, too. Turn heat down. This will cook for the same amount of time as your pasta on low, flavoring the loil but not browning the garlic—it should melt.
Add your spaghetti to boiling water. Cook till al dente, approximately 10 minutes, depending upon the brand.
I use a hand held strainer to pull the pasta out of the water and add it to the fry pan and the oiil and garlic. Add a ½ cup of the pasta water to the pan, turn the heat up and turn the pasta to coat it. The water will dissipate in a couple of minutes.
Plate and garnish with parsley and some finely grated parmesan.
If you need a demo, watch Chef. I love that scene!!